The Family Job
by mmooch
Summary: **Previously titled 'Mommy Parker'** The Master pulled Buffy through the skylight with him. She was sent through time and space to the world of Leverage. There she met the team. Only problem? She was 10 years old.
1. Chapter 1: Mommy Parker

**The Family Job**

Summary: The Master pulled Buffy through the skylight with him. She was sent through time and space to the world of _Leverage_. There she met the team. Only problem? She was 10 years old.

Timeline: Season 1 for both. Had to futz with the years to make them match up.

Warning: Humorous language and violence. Could be disturbing coming from a 10 year old. Mild hints of possible abuse.

A/N: Making some canon changes to Joyce and Hank…I'm pretty sure. Also, Buffy has her memories up to her de-age of 10, but still retains her abilities as a Slayer – at least the knowledge of fighting, if not _all_ the strength and speed.

Challenge: #4917 'Help I've been De-aged!' by EvaMcGregor

**OK, i love this idea.

Take any canon character and de-age them to an age between 2 and 16. for some reason have them in a situation where someone of their own fandom can't take care of them, or that a canon character has to take them and move away.

no Wish to get them to another fandom, there are better ways for this to happen.

no relatives taking care of the de-aged person even from another fandom. i would prefer if who ever takes care of the de-aged person is not related to anyone outside of canon relation.(ie: Winchester brothers, Danny and Lindsey Messier -marrie...(more)**

Thanks to my betas: AshDawnSoulmates and zigpal.

Disclaimer: BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Leverage characters belong to John Rogers, Chris Downey, and TNT. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

**Chapter 1: Mommy Parker**

**Sunnydale High School**

Giles watched in horror as he saw his Slayer being pulled through the skylight with the Master. She may have won this battle, but at what price? The Master's body disintegrated, leaving only the skeleton.

Before anyone could move, the energies from the Hellmouth started arcing out the second Buffy's body went through, in a black lightning kind of way. As it did, the streaks battered the skeleton until all that was left was a pile of dust, which got sucked in to the Hellmouth prior to it closing back up.

The world was saved. However, it cost them their friend and hero, Buffy Summers – who would become just another statistic in Sunnydale's crime files.

* * *

**Leverage Headquarters**

"What's the problem, Hardison?" Nate shouted out when he met his team in front of the building where their headquarters was located. A signal automatically called them all to come there as soon as possible.

Hardison was looking at his laptop, a look of confusion marring his features. "The internal sensors show that we have an intruder, but none of the external sensors have been tripped."

Eliot looked up at the building for answers, but asked, "Is that possible?"

The computer wiz shook his head, "Shouldn't be. I designed this so _Parker_ couldn't get in without setting it off."

Nate looked around at the team; only Sophie hadn't gotten there yet. "Eliot, You lead. Hardison, see if you can bring up the cameras. Maybe we can see who it is."

"Whoever it is, they're in Parker's office. I can only make out a shape," Hardison informed the others.

Parker didn't like the sound of that. She had some stuff in there she didn't want anyone finding – especially a stranger. "What?!" She yelled before taking off, pushing past Eliot.

Sighing at the blonde's impetuousness, Nate ordered, "Eliot, hurry up and see if you can catch her." He, Hardison and the newly-arrived Sophie followed right behind them up the stairs.

**Parker's office**

Parker got in the room first and attacked the shape near her plant. She was surprised when the person – who was much smaller than she expected…midget? Creepy! – simply tossed her away. Then Eliot tried to trap the person from behind and paid for that tactic with any future children he _might_ have fathered. The figure ran from the office, down the hall.

Nate and Sophie walked right past after the person ducked into the break room and hid behind the garbage can. Hardison was the first to find her since he had been tracking her movements on his system. He flipped the lights on and was shocked to discover a little girl.

Hardison squatted to get on eye level with the small child. "Hey there, cutie. Did you get lost or something? How did you get in here?" he inquired gently. He didn't want to scare the girl. She already looked terrified.

Her eyes welled up with tears, but she still answered through her sniffles, "I don't know. I just woke up on the floor, and I wanna go home!"

"Can you tell me your name?" Hardison asked, holding out his hand to help her up.

Buffy thought for a moment. She studied him intensely, making him feel a little unnerved. Apparently, she liked what she saw and smiled shyly before telling him, "Elizabeth Anne, but everyone calls me Buffy – 'cept Daddy when he's _really_ mad."

Hardison seemed pleased she could trust him. But then again, he was probably the most naturally likeable member of the team, even if nobody saw it – including him. "Alright then, Buffy. Do you want something to drink? We got lots of orange soda."

The little blonde's eyes lit up in excitement. Her mommy and daddy never let her drink soda at night! "Really? And I can have some? Thank you!" she exclaimed and gave him a giant hug.

His heart melted with the girl's actions. "Oh, you are just too adorable! Now, I've got to tell the others that you're here or they might hurt you; 'cause we thought somebody broke in," he hurried to clarify. He didn't want her to be scared.

But she still looked worried. Her next question explained why, "Am I gonna get in trouble for the two I hurt?"

"Which two?" he wondered. Intellectually, he figured that it had to be Parker and Eliot, but he just couldn't see this little pixie being able to hurt either of those two.

Buffy's head tilted so she was staring at the floor, biting her lower lip. Hardison thought it was the cutest thing he ever saw. "The two that grabbed me. I pushed the first one away, and hit the other one in the bad place," she explained, looking like she was going to cry again.

Hardison clamped his hand over his face, stifling his laughter. The 'bad place' could only refer to a certain part of Eliot's anatomy. He couldn't wait to pull that up on the cameras! "I'll make sure they understand you didn't mean it," he reassured the worried youngster.

The blinding smile she gave him told the self-proclaimed geek that he was able to make her feel better. "I like you. What's your name?" she demanded as only a child could and not sound incredibly rude.

"Alec Hardison, but you can call me Hardison. You just take a seat and I'll be back in a few minutes, 'k?" he checked as he made his way to the hallway.

Buffy nodded, then turned all her attention on the soda in front of her, "Uh-huh."

**Back in Parker's office**

"I found the intruder. She's in the break room," Hardison announced to the others when he got to Parker's office. Sophie and Nate were trying to help the slightly injured Parker and Eliot.

Catching everyone off guard with the question she chose, Parker asked, "Is she a midget?"

Eliot stood and started for the door. "You left her alone? What if she took off?" he growled, still wincing from the pain of being hit _there_.

Hardison was just having too much fun with his information and prolonged releasing it. "I wouldn't worry about it; she's finishing her orange soda."

That made the team leader glare at him. "You're giving the person who broke into our headquarters _refreshments_?" Nate almost yelled.

Misreading the soft smile on Hardison's face, Sophie guessed, "She must be very beautiful."

"Well, she did say she liked me," Hardison offered, after thinking about it for a moment.

**Break room**

Hardison finished his earlier statement as he walked casually into the room after everyone else, "…And she's a kid."

Tying to wipe away the headache that was forming, Nate said quietly, "You couldn't have mentioned that before?"

"And miss the look on Eliot's face when he saw who took him out? Not a chance!" Hardison declared gleefully.

Buffy looked up at the group and guessed which one was the man she hit in the bad place. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Eliot. You just scared me and I--" she started crying, afraid that she was in big trouble now.

"Great," Eliot muttered. He managed to make a girl cry and he didn't even break her heart. He gave her his best smile and praised her, "Hey, don't worry about it, kid. It's actually pretty impressive that you were able to do that."

Parker just squinted at Buffy and demanded, "What were you doing in my office?"

Shooting the older blonde a reproving look, Sophie tried the softer approach. "What's your name, little girl?" she inquired with her most charming smile.

But Buffy's eyes narrowed at her. "Elizabeth," she replied simply before turning to Parker so she could answer, "I don't know; I was just checking the place out and liked that room the best so far. You have lots of cool stuff. Can you show me some of it?"

"First, we need to figure out how you got in here," Nate declared to get everyone focused again.

"I already told Hardison I didn't know. I'm not lying!" Nate tried to get closer to her, but she backed into Parker's arms. "Stay away! You smell like Daddy and Mommy!" she whimpered.

Hardison leaned into Nate, whispering, "I think she smells the alcohol on your breath. There's something fishy going on with her; she said something earlier about what happened when her dad got really angry." He didn't say anything about Buffy's name, thinking the little girl might have a reason for not telling them the same thing she told him.

Sophie's eyes turned a mixture of angry and sad. "Are you thinking she was abused?" she whispered back.

"I don't know. Maybe she can hang with Parker while we check her out," Hardison suggested, seeing how comfortable Buffy looked with the crazy thief – something that shocked and scared everyone. Except Hardison, that is; he just got a goofy grin on his face at the sight.

"Alright. Parker? Why don't you show Elizabeth your office. Please keep the criminal training to a minimum," Nate requested, remembering the time when another little girl visited their offices and Parker taught her how to pick a lock.

**Parker's office again**

"You can call me Buffy. You're nice like Hardison. Do you think Mr. Eliot will forgive me for hurting him in the no-no place? 'Cause he's really cute, and I don't want him to hate me," Buffy babbled as Parker showed her some of the repelling harnesses she created.

"It's just Eliot," Parker corrected. "Not sure, but I think it should be okay. He likes to fight, so he probably understands. Why do you like _me_? People like Sophie, not me," the blonde thief inquired.

Buffy thought about how to explain it, then she said, "'Cause you're not fake nice like that other lady."

Hardison popped his head in the door to ask, "Hey, Buffy? Can I take your picture and get your last name? Or do you know your home address and phone number?" he questioned hopefully. She seemed like a bright kid; maybe they'd get lucky.

She put her hand to her head and checked, "Is my hair okay? I don't want my picture taken if I look bad." Then she gave him as much information as she could think of. "My last name is Summers. I live at 2658 Weston Drive in Glendale. Our number is 555-1993. My parents' names are Hank and Joyce. Can you tell them it isn't my fault? Please?" she pleaded, not wanting to get in trouble.

He typed in the information as she spouted it, then reassured her that he'd take care of her parents. No kid should be that scared of her own folks. Something was definitely wrong here.

After he left, Buffy turned back to Parker. "Can I braid your hair? I wish Mr. Gordo was here," she said sadly.

Unsure of what to do, Parker sat down next to Buffy, who immediately started in on her hair. "Who's Mr. Gordo?" she asked, thinking the more intel she could get, the better.

Buffy worked intently on the older woman's hair as she confided, "He's my stuffed pig. He always makes me feel better when I get scared."

Parker smiled at Buffy's confession. They were like kindred spirits. "Can you keep a secret?" Buffy nodded enthusiastically. "I have a stuffed bunny who does the same thing for me."

"Is he here?" Buffy asked hopefully.

"Nah. He's at my place. Tell you what, if we can't get a hold of your folks right away, I'll get Bunny for you," Parker promised. Normally, she wasn't this at ease with other people, but something about this girl made her feel like a regular person. It was both cool and scary.

Buffy gave her a grateful smile and replied, "Thank you, Miss Parker."

Completely out of character for her, Parker gave the little kid a quick hug. "Parker's good."

"Umm, Parker? Is Eliot your boyfriend? Or Hardison?" Buffy attempted to get an idea about the people who most interested her. Hardison was cool, and Eliot was mega cute. She wondered if she was older, if he would date her.

"I don't do too good with other people," was Parker's non-answer.

Buffy disagreed, "I think Hardison likes you. Does Eliot have a girlfriend? I hope not, 'cause he's super cute!" she gushed.

Parker was startled by Buffy's confident comment. "Really? You think Hardison likes me?" She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Uh-huh. He looks at you all funny like my babysitter's boyfriend looks at her," Buffy responded knowingly.

"Hmm. We could ask Eliot if he has a girlfriend, but he might be a little old for you," Parker tacked on, not wanting Buffy to get hurt. Then she shook her head at how protective she was acting. This just wasn't like her!

Buffy refused to give up so easily, though. "But maybe when I'm older?"

Parker couldn't help but laugh. Then she remembered how easily Buffy defended herself earlier and replied, "The way you fight? No doubt."

**Conference room**

Eliot looked pissed when they disconnected the call to the Summers' house. "How the hell are we supposed to tell the kid her parents never heard of her?" he yelled.

Nate's headache was steadily getting worse. "Could she be wrong?" he asked Hardison.

The computer tech shook his head. "She spouted off her information like she memorized it."

"Maybe the parents are lying," Sophie suggested, feeling sick at the thought.

Hardison looked like he had been sucker-punched. "Why? She's such a cute kid; who would lie about her being theirs?"

"Some people can be bastards," Eliot stated simply.

Shaking his head, Nate disagreed, "No. It'd be too easy to prove she is. Hardison, pull up the surveillance footage from when she first tripped the internal alarms."

After watching and re-watching the footage several times, Hardison turned to the others and demanded, "What the hell was _that_?"

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before," Nate answered, wishing for a large tumbler of anything right about now.

Eliot smirked, thinking of their question when they first got there that night. "It would explain why the external alarms weren't tripped," he pointed out the obvious.

Sophie put the unusual way the girl arrived aside for the moment to inquire, "So what do we do with her now?"

Nate sighed, "The only thing we can do: hand her over to child services."

**Back to Parker's office once again**

Nate explained the situation to Parker and that they would be turning Buffy into the officials and let them deal with her.

The slightly psychotic blonde looked at the little girl, then remembered foster care and group homes. "No way!" she declared, not wanting that kind of life for Buffy.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Nate tried to reason with her, "Parker, you don't understand. She came from _nowhere_ and the people she claimed were her parents don't know about her."

But she wasn't having anything to do with it. "_You_ don't understand! She thinks I'm nice!" Parker exclaimed.

Eliot was – to say the least – shocked by this news. But he could kind of see that the crazy chick had a way with kids. "That's great, Parker, but it doesn't change the fact that she needs somebody to take care of her," he pointed out kindly.

Parker thought for barely a second, then announced, "I'll do it."

Sharing a concerned look with Nate, Sophie kneeled down next to her and questioned as nicely as she could, "You? Are you sure that's a wise idea?"

"You're just jealous 'cause she likes me better!" Parker growled back, clearly defensive.

"Parker, you can't do it," the group leader tried again, hoping she would see reason.

However, Parker just felt a kinship with the younger blonde that wouldn't be swayed. "Sure I can. Hardison can fake the paperwork to say she's my kid," she replied, looking at the computer geek for help.

Nate lost his temper and barked out, "She's not a puppy, Parker!"

At this point, Buffy stopped pretending like she was asleep. She sat up and growled at the drunk guy, "She's also in the room and not deaf, mister."

Hardison sighed. They really should have taken this into another room. "How much did you hear, Buffy?" he inquired.

Sophie couldn't help but blurt out, "Buffy? I thought she said her name was Elizabeth?"

Buffy gave her a very pointed look before clarifying, "It is Elizabeth, but my _friends_ can call me Buffy."

"What did you hear?" Parker asked the question again to get them off the name subject.

"Everything. I was only resting my eyes. Can I really stay with you? I won't be any trouble," Buffy promised with her best _'I'll be good'_ expression. This was better than having to go home to her mommy and daddy.

Nate took a deep breath, then tried to explain, "Parker isn't very good with people, Buffy."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him, not liking the way he was talking about her friend. Not to mention the fact that he assumed he could use that name with her. "Elizabeth. I don't like you. She's good with me. That's all that matters. Besides, Hardison and Eliot like her," she said confidently.

"What makes you think Nate and I don't like her?" Sophie inquired. She _was_ a little put out because the little girl liked Parker of all people, not her. That was just wrong on so many levels.

Thinking about it for a minute, Buffy conceded, "Maybe you do, but you think you're better than her – just 'cause she's not as good as being fakey as you."

"I don't like her," Eliot felt required to point out.

Buffy only grinned at him. He just wasn't willing to admit it yet. "Sure you do. You wanted to protect her earlier."

Eliot snorted and replied dismissively, "That's just because we work together."

She sing-songed back, "I don't think so. So, can you help us, Hardison? Please!" Buffy pleaded with her best pout and puppy eyes. Parker looked at her and copied the expression – much to the amusement of the others. Hardison just appeared stunned by the twin images, and found himself agreeing.

Turning aside, Eliot whispered to Nate, "Man, he's a goner. If they ever decide to team up on him, there's no telling what he would agree to."

Buffy heard what Eliot said and started plotting to get Parker and Hardison together. She bet they would make a nicer mommy and daddy than her parents were.

* * *

A/N: I may consider doing a follow-up of Buffy's plan being put into action – if there's interest.


	2. Chapter 2: Daddy Hardison

**Chapter 2: Daddy Hardison**

A/N: Oi, this has turned into an actual story, but I only have one chapter left after this one.

Warning: I don't know; maybe language and innuendo somewhere along the way.

Challenge: #4917 by EvaMcGregor.

Thanks to my beta: zigpal.

Disclaimer: BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Leverage characters belong to John Rogers, Chris Downey, and TNT. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

* * *

**Leverage Headquarters**

**1 week later…**

While Buffy was at school one day the next week, Nate called Parker into his office to talk. Despite the fact he couldn't get anywhere near Buffy without her flinching, he was still concerned about the young girl. "How's Buffy settling in?" he inquired.

"She's fine," Parker answered with her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She didn't like that Nate and Sophie were standing together on the other side of the desk. It felt too much like an interrogation to her.

Sophie gave the blonde thief an understanding look – which, unfortunately, looked more condescending to Parker. "No troubles?" she asked softly.

Nate saw the continued defensive stance in Parker's posture. They obviously were going about this the wrong way. He nodded to Sophie to get her to leave them alone. Once the door closed, Nate came around the desk to sit next to Parker. "You know, it's okay to admit there's problems. Even biological parents have trouble raising kids. It's _how_ they deal with it that determines if they are good parents or not." He was relieved to see the small nod from Buffy's new mom – even if she didn't say anything.

**Parker's apartment**

**Couple weeks later…**

"Hardison? Can you help us out with some stuff?" Buffy asked as soon as the team hacker crossed the threshold of the girls' apartment. Something in Buffy's mind wouldn't let her invite anyone in verbally; she didn't understand why, though. "Parker just needs the teensiest back-up with a few parenting things."

Hardison did a cursory look around the living room, not seeing any visible signs of problems. "Why not ask Nate? He's the only one of us that's actually ever had a kid – that I know of, anyway," he added with a thoughtful expression.

She sat next to him on the couch, folding her legs up under her. Hardison almost melted as she did that cute lip biting thing she did when she was nervous. "'Cause whether he means to or not, he'll make Parker feel like she's failing me – even if it's just in her head. She admires him _so_ much that him being disappointed in her would crush her. And it's really not that bad. Please?" Buffy pleaded with doe-like eyes.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he considered the risks of staying quiet. Finally, he offered a compromise, "I guess I can help out…as long as it isn't anything too serious."

"Nah. I just don't think she had a normal childhood, so there are things she doesn't understand." Buffy curled up into his side as she explained the small details Parker was missing.

**Later that night…**

Parker walked into the apartment to see Buffy and Hardison tapping away on matching computers. They even had matching bottles of orange soda next to them on the table. "What's going on, you guys?"

Hurrying over to her mom to give her a hug, Buffy blurted out, "I asked Hardison to help us."

The joy Parker felt having Buffy hug her so easily was lost with the words her 'daughter' spoke. She felt like Eliot had punched her in the stomach. "I'm screwing up with you, aren't I? Sophie and Nate were right; I should never have thought I could take care of a kid!"

Hardison's eyes widened at the dejected expression on the older blonde's face. "Wow! I see what you mean, Buffy. She really _does_ assume the worst."

After mentally smacking herself for blurting it out like that, Buffy thought about the best way to help her mom understand. She grinned when she finally got an idea. "Parker? Would you expect Hardison to know how to break into Christie's to steal the Cornerstone Diamond?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Parker scoffed, "Of course not! He'd have a hard time taking Bunny from _you_."

Smiling at her mom for getting it right away, Buffy nodded in agreement. "That's 'cause he knows hardly anything about being a thief like you. Well, you're missing a couple things in taking care of me 'cause you don't know as much about being a kid…not really."

Buffy pushed Parker onto the couch and crawled up in her lap so she could cuddle with her – hoping it would show with actions what she was saying with words. "Now the first thing you need to know is that if you were really screwing up with me, I wouldn't want to live with you. And I do, Parker; I _love_ living with you – _way_ more than my own parents! Got it?"

Seeing what Buffy was trying to do, Hardison gave Parker an encouraging smile as he interjected, "And hey, that's a pretty good commentary on how you're doing, Parker. Kids are great at telling you if you mess up. Buffy hasn't pulled any punches so far with Nate or Sophie, has she?" he pointed out.

Parker thought about that; it was true that Buffy was pretty tough on the team leaders. Part of her even thought Buffy drove them to take vacations at the same time. At least they said they were going on vacation. They wouldn't leave without telling the others, right? Shaking her head to stop that line of worry, Parker conceded, "Alright. So you're here to catch what I miss?"

"Yup. I'm moving in downstairs so we'll be closer to each other," Hardison replied, sliding the computer over to show Parker how he and Buffy spent their afternoon. "First things first, you've _got_ to learn to cook some stuff. Ordering out so often isn't good for either of you."

"Any suggestions? Every time I try to cook, it ends up in disaster. I set the toaster on fire once trying to make frozen waffles," Parker admitted with a grimace.

Hardison grinned what was commonly referred to as a 'shit-eating grin' – although why anyone would want to eat shit, or smile about it? He generally smiled that when he was going to make someone suffer…in a nice way…_usually_. "Actually, I do have an idea, but it will require Buffy to use her secret weapon."

Parker looked confused. "What secret weapon?"

Even though she was only 10, Buffy knew what her strengths and weaknesses were. "My pout. Who do I get to use it on?"

"Eliot. He's a great chef; remember that wedding job we did?" Hardison asked Parker. "He takes food very seriously. If he can't teach you, I don't know who can."

**Leverage headquarters**

**The next day…**

With Nate and Sophie gone, the Leverage offices were quiet most of the time. The rest of the team still went in to keep tabs on the smaller cons, though. Eliot smiled when he saw the junior team member sitting in the break room. She was like a sane version of Parker. "There's my pint-sized darling. What are you up to these days, Buffy?"

He was surprised when she just looked up at him with tears welling up in her eyes and her lower lip trembling slightly.

Eliot grabbed her in a comforting hug, trying to soothe away the tears. "Aww, sweetheart, what's the matter? Did some boy hurt you? Just tell me his name, and he'll regret it for the rest of his short life!" he growled dangerously.

"No, it's nothing like that… I can't say, 'cause you'd tell Nate and Sophie, and they'd take me away from Parker. Oops." Buffy shook her head like she was mad she let that slip.

Starting to get worried, Eliot pleaded, "Please tell me, sweetie. I promise that as long as you aren't in danger, I won't say anything."

Buffy wiped away the tears with her sleeve and gave the team hitter a hopeful smile. "Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear," he vowed, grateful she stopped crying. He sat down on a soft chair and let Buffy cuddle in his lap. "Now, what's up?"

Playing with the zipper on his coat, Buffy finally admitted, "Parker and I don't know how to cook, and the school wants me to bring some stuff in for a bake sale."

Eliot breathed a huge sigh of relief that it wasn't anything worse, then exclaimed in shock, "Parker can't cook? At all? What do you guys eat?"

Apparently his tone made Buffy worried and her eyes began to water again, making him caress her hair to calm her down. "Take-out or cereal; stuff we can warm up in the microwave. But the school wants homemade goodies, and I'm already considered weird 'cause I'm the new girl."

"How 'bout this? I'll come over, and we'll make the best treats those kids and their parents have ever tasted," Eliot suggested with a warm grin.

The smile she gave him would put searchlights to shame in terms of brightness. "You know how to cook? And you'll help us without telling?" she asked hopefully.

Eliot gave her a tight squeeze. "Anything for you, darling. I can even teach the two of you how to cook regular meals. It's healthier than ordering out all the time."

She bounced out of his lap, then gave his a loud smacking kiss on the cheek. "Oh thank you, Eliot! You're the best!"

**Next room over**

Watching on the internal cameras, Parker let out an appreciative whistle. "Wow! She's good. I bet she could con Sophie if she tried."

"That would be interesting to see," Hardison agreed. Then he realized what they were saying and added, "But very, very wrong! We can't turn Buffy into one of us."

Parker shrugged casually. "I know; it's just fun to watch."

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Eliot spent almost every evening at Parker's, teaching the girls basic cooking skills. After a few spectacular mistakes – including one where they managed to set the blender on fire somehow – Parker and Buffy settled down enough to get by. There was no risk of them appearing on Iron Chef anytime soon, but at least they weren't dependent on take-out anymore.

In celebration, they invited Eliot over for their first dinner party. Since Nate was still on vacation somewhere, and Sophie was gone too, it really wasn't that much different from the previous nights. Except this night, Parker and Buffy were taking care of everything on their own.

Choosing to go with a semi-Italian theme, the girls got started on a dish Buffy dubbed 'Shells de Sauce de Meat' aka 'Stuffed Shells'. It was a fairly simple dish to prepare: jumbo pasta shells, boiled then stuffed with browned ground beef and shredded mozzarella cheese, then laid on a light layer of spaghetti sauce, finally covered with more sauce. Baked until the cheese had time to melt – about 25 minutes.

It had the appearance of being fancy, but without the hassle. A basic salad and sparkling cider completed the meal. Now all they had left to do was to make the biscotti for dessert. That's where things got messy…literally.

Knowing how excited the girls were for this dinner, Hardison and Eliot dressed in nice casual clothes: slacks and a button-up shirt. Eliot stopped by Hardison's apartment so they could walk up together.

When no one answered Parker's door, they let themselves in cautiously. The loud music coming from the kitchen clued them in why nobody heard them knock. Breathing a sigh of relief and chuckling at the unusual music selection, the guys walked straight through the kitchen doors…and right into a flurry of flour tossed from either side.

Stifling a giggle at the sight, Buffy apologized, "Oops! Sorry, guys. You sorta walked into the middle of our war."

"What the hell is going on here? This place is a disaster area!" Eliot shouted, shaking his head to get the flour out of his hair.

Parker gave them a sheepish grin. "We were making the biscotti for tonight, and one thing led to another, and here we are. Guess this means we'll have to settle with brownies and ice cream for dessert."

"You're not mad, are you? We had this Italian theme in mind, and now it's screwed up. You're still gonna stay, right?" Buffy pleaded, suddenly worried that Eliot might be really angry.

Hardison leaned over to Eliot, whispering, "Hey man, take a look at Parker; she's smiling and having fun like a normal person – _without_ the happy pills. This is good."

Sighing in defeat, Eliot whispered back, "You're right." He raised his voice, "On one condition…" He went over to the flour container and grabbed a handful to throw at the girls. Hardison grinned wildly and joined him.

The resulting flour fight turned the kitchen into a veritable winter wonderland. Afterward, the four of them decided to go ultra-casual for their meal and just sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen instead of tracking the flour to the dining room. The food was a rousing success, but they chose to wait for dessert until after they cleaned up the kitchen.

As much fun as they had with the fight, they _all_ agreed over an hour later never to do it again. If there was to be another food fight, it would be outside or someplace where somebody else got to clean up. Once they were finished, they all took quick showers and changed into sweats and t-shirts. The guys were fortunate that Parker kept spare clothes for them in a hall closet; however, neither one wanted to question why.

By the time they joined Buffy on the couch to watch a movie, she had fallen asleep. Rather than move her, Eliot covered her with a blanket, then took the remaining space on the couch. That meant Hardison and Parker had to sit together on the other – smaller – couch, unless they wanted to sit in the recliners. Eliot was amused to see that it didn't even seem to occur to them to take the chairs, but kept his mouth shut.

When the movie was over, Buffy was still asleep, so Eliot picked her up and took her to her bedroom. As he was tucking her in, she peeked her eyes open and asked, "Did they sit together or apart?"

Eliot chuckled at her expression. "You little sneak! You meant to do that. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though. Next time, warn me so I can leave."

"Nuh-uh. If you left, then Hardison probably would have too. So…?" she prompted.

He shook his head in resignation. This little girl was dangerous, and learning from the team members…? What she might do someday almost worried him. "Together. Now go to sleep, you little yenta."

Buffy grinned in triumph. "Once they're together, I can start looking for you," she offered.

Putting his hand over his chest, Eliot rocked back slightly. "I'm hurt. I thought _you_ liked me."

She just rolled her eyes. "Hurt, yeah right. You're probably relieved. And I still think you're really, really cute; it's just you're too old for me. You need someone now, not in ten years. Us now would be mega-squicky."

"I appreciate your concern, but you really don't have to worry about my love life," Eliot replied, adding a little warning to his voice. He was quite happy with his life right now and didn't need a steady relationship to get in the way.

Studying his face, Buffy decided that this wasn't worth fighting over – at least for now. Instead, she tried to recruit him, "But you'll help me with Parker and Hardison, right?"

Eliot shrugged. "Sure. For whatever reason, those two together scare me less than if they dated other people."

* * *

A/N: Now we've had the necessary follow-up to start to get Parker and Hardison together. The last chapter will deal with Sterling.


	3. Chapter 3: Leverage Family

**Chapter 3: Leverage Family**

A/N: Okay, see, I had my plan for what Buffy would do to Sterling but was told by a close friend that it was too cruel. That it would make Buffy seem sorta sociopathic and put anyone who found out about what she did in a difficult place, ethically speaking. Originally, she was going to plant evidence that indicated he was a pedophile – at least where she was concerned. That the reason he was trying to take her away from Parker was so he'd have Buffy to himself. The only charge Buffy would make verbally was that he was hanging around and making threats. It was the evidence she manufactured that was the problem to my friend.

Warning: I don't know; maybe language and innuendo somewhere along the way.

Challenge: #4917 by EvaMcGregor.

Thanks to my betas: AshDawnSoulmates and zigpal.

Disclaimer: BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Leverage characters belong to John Rogers, Chris Downey, and TNT. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

* * *

**Leverage Headquarters**

And so it went for the next few months. Buffy would ask Parker if they could do things with the guys, then Eliot and Buffy would fade into the background or quietly leave Parker and Hardison alone so it ended up almost being a dating routine.

Not being as socially backward as the blonde thief, Hardison caught on after about the third time they did it. However, he had grown fond of Parker and actually was happy about their matchmaking so he went along with it. Nobody said anything because they were afraid of Parker's reaction to finding out she had been manipulated into a 'relationship'.

Meanwhile, the team found out where Nate had gone on his 'vacation'. Much to everyone's surprise, the mastermind of Leverage Inc. had checked himself into a detox center to get over his alcohol addiction. Sophie in particular was stunned – seeing as how he had shrugged off her efforts to clean him up during the rehab con.

Why did he choose now to do it?

The simple answer was Buffy.

Nate looked at her and saw his son's eyes staring at him. So when she flinched at his closeness, it was as if it were Sam doing it…and it tore him up inside to think that his child would ever react the same way Buffy did.

Sam's death almost destroyed him; if he kept drinking to forget his pain, it would…sooner instead of later. Something he had overheard Buffy saying to Parker one day got him to thinking about how he was living his life. She was talking about her past and the fact she witnessed her cousin's death, and she said, _'Celia's mom was worried about how I had stopped playing or laughing. Finally, she sat me down and asked me to do something for Celia. She asked me to live for Celia. Make my life something she would be proud to be a part of.'_

Those words kept repeating over and over in Nate's mind for days. It finally got to the point where he couldn't even take a drink without hearing them. He knew that Sam would be ashamed of how his dad fell apart because of his death. Sam's memory deserved a better legacy than a drunken father – even if he was a 'functional' drunk.

That's when he made plans to get clean.

But he needed to do it on his own. As much as he cared about the team – and Sophie in particular – he couldn't let them be involved. This had to be for him. Letting them be part of it would just cloud the process. So he basically snuck away, not telling them what he was doing.

* * *

**Parker and Buffy's apartment**

**After Nate came back…**

Peering out from her hiding spot by her bedroom door, Buffy glared at the man talking to her mom; the others called him Jim Sterling. He worked for the company that let Nate's son die. That made him and the company the baddies in her mind. And the fact he was sneering at Parker only solidified that opinion.

Sterling lounged on Buffy's bed and picked up Bunny, petting it in what felt to Parker and Buffy a threatening manner. Of course, his next words sort of encouraged that judgment, "Either you help us or I'll make sure you lose that little girl of yours. I know that 'adoption' you pulled couldn't possibly be legal. No person in their right mind would ever give _you_ custody of a child," he snarled very Sterling-like.

Parker's eyes widened in fear. He would know just which button to push. "Leave Buffy out of this!"

He set Bunny down, but made no move to get off the bed. "Just do as I say and I'll be happy to."

"Until the next time you want something, right?" she correctly guessed.

Figuring this was the best time to interrupt, Buffy pushed the door open and did her best blonde act for the creep. "Hey, Mom! Who's this?"

The creep finally got off her bed to greet her. That bedding so needed to be burned, and Bunny needed to be disinfected. Oh yeah, creepy was speaking, "Hello, Buffy. My name is Jim Sterling. I'm a colleague of your mom's; just came to ask for her assistance."

"Hello, Mr. Sterling. You have a system you need fixed?" Buffy asked, tilted her head to the side and scrunching her face up in mock-confusion.

Sterling's confusion was genuine. "Excuse me?"

Buffy gave him a 'duh' look. "Mom is a security systems analyst. So if you need her help, then you must be having trouble with a security system."

Fighting the very strong urge to roll his eyes, Sterling leaned over to Parker, whispering, "Seriously? Your cover is a security systems analyst?"

Parker leaned away from him like he had the plague. "Why not?" she quipped, wondering where Buffy came up with that. She would have to mention that to Hardison; it was kind of a good explanation for what she did.

Buffy stamped her foot in indigation. "Hey, mister! I asked you a question! It's kinda rude to ignore people and whisper in front of them!"

Sterling cleared his throat, still trying to figure out what kind of scam Parker was pulling with the kid. "Terribly sorry, Buffy. I was just surprised that you knew what your mother's job title was," he explained, quite condescendingly in Buffy's opinion.

She decided she had enough of this pretend thing she was doing. Time to run her own con on the guy. "I'm 10, not stupid! Forget it, I was gonna try to be polite with you, but you're obviously just a big poophead. Leave my mom alone or I'm gonna cause you so much trouble any relatives unlucky enough to share your DNA are going to suffer," she threated with a 10 year old's version of a Slayer glare.

He backed up a step, somehow frightened of the child, before stopping himself. "I don't think you can understand just what I can do to you and Parker," he retorted hotly.

"Please, I heard you threaten to take me away from her. As if you could!" Buffy scoffed in an unconcerned manner.

Sterling just smirked in return, knowing he had the winning hand here. "Parker isn't fit to be a mother; therefore, any adoption would be illegal."

However, Buffy changed the rules of the game on him. "Well, first, you're wrong about your opinion of her. She's a great mom. Second, you'll have a lot harder time taking a kid from their biological parent." _Checkmate!_ She knew from her experience with her real parents that taking a child from their natural parents was hard to do – even with proof of abuse.

"She's not your biological mom…right?" Suddenly he didn't look so sure. He started glancing between Buffy and Parker for some clue whether the kid was lying.

"You're considered as smart as Nate? Pfft!" she blew a raspberry at him. Then she subjected him to her best snarky tone, "Take a good look at us, and try to use _all_ your brain cells for this. You're seriously telling me you can't see the family resemblance between us?"

Wow, when he did what she suggested, Sterling started to see what the brat was talking about "But how--?" he sputtered.

"Wow, that's really sad you don't know where babies come from," Buffy said with mock-pity. "Guess it has something to do with the fact no woman in her right mind would touch you with a 100 foot pole. See, when two people have sex – do you need a picture of what sex is? – one of the possible side effects is pregnancy. Since she was only 15 at the time and in foster care, Mom obviously couldn't keep me."

"So why are you here now?" he demanded, still trying to wrap his mind around this new complication. He really was counting on being able to blackmail Parker into helping him.

Giving him her best sneer, Buffy explained, "Not that it's any of your business, but she's not stupid; she knew she couldn't raise me before. When she joined up with the team and felt she could trust them, she asked Hardison to find me. After they saw some orphans being mistreated, Mom knew she couldn't stay away from me anymore. That living in a family like this one was better than living in foster care or a group home."

Sterling turned to Parker, guessing she was the one who had the true answer. Maybe the kid didn't know the truth. "She really _is_ your daughter?"

For the second time that day, Parker struggled to catch up to her daughter's lies. Fortunately, she had every reason to go along with the con. "Uh, yeah. One of the boys from the foster home I lived in got me drunk and we had sex. Since the parents liked him better, they blamed me for it happening. Sent me away."

Buffy went over to Sterling and kicked him in the shin. Juvenile, yeah, but so was she. "So go away, you creep! If you ever come near my family again, I'll make your life hell! And by family, I mean the _whole_ team, not just Mom," she clarified.

"This isn't over!" Sterling called out as he left, deciding a strategic retreat was called for at the moment. He'd come up with another way to get what he wanted…Nate's head on a platter for his boss.

After checking for any bugs Sterling might have had a chance to plant, Parker turned to her daughter with a shocked expression. "Buffy! How on earth did you manage to come up with a story like that?"

Buffy just shrugged in response. "I've been thinking about it ever since you took me home. I guessed that somebody would eventually use me to get you to do something. When Hardison told me we have the same bloodtype, the idea just fell into place. You don't mind, do you?" she asked, biting her lower lip in worry.

Parker pulled her into a tight hug – something she managed to get used to over the past few months. "Of course not! I actually kind of wish it was true though," she said wistfully.

"Me too. We can pretend it is," Buffy answered, snuggling into her mom's embrace.

Taking a moment to enjoy the closeness, Parker finally sighed and got up. "We should probably warn the others that Sterling came around. Means there's bound to be trouble soon."

**Leverage Headquarters**

Once Parker and Buffy filled the team on their visit with Sterling, Hardison started laughing hysterically. "Oh man, I wish I could have seen Sterling's face when Buffy threatened him!"

Nate smiled at the image too. Then his expression turned grim, and he warned her, "But you need to be careful, Buffy. He's a very dangerous man."

"I know. I just couldn't let him hurt Mom," Buffy explained in that childlike manner kids had sometimes.

"Thank you, sweetie. Nate's right though; next time we see Sterling, stay clear, 'k?" Parker pleaded. She couldn't live with herself if something happened to Buffy.

Buffy considered it for a second, then answered truthfully, "No promises."

* * *

It was only a month later when Sterling made his next move. Except, this time he targeted Hardison. When he tipped off the mark the team was working on that Hardison was hacking her computer system, Sterling didn't count on the woman physically going after Hardison.

But see, Allyson Brendan was not a woman to mess with. Everyone thought it was her brother, David, that was behind the violent things that happened to their enemies. That was the way Allyson and David wanted it to look; that way, nobody would watch her movements. If they had, it would have made sense that David always seemed to have an air-tight alibi when the hits went down.

Sheer luck kept the bullet from penetrating Hardison's heart.

Instead, it nicked his right lung when he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. Ignoring her own safety, Buffy burst out of the van to rush to his side – as did the rest of the team. Within seconds, Sophie had called 9-1-1 while Nate tried to stop the bleeding. Eliot figured out where the shot came from and took off after the shooter.

It was Parker who was torn about what to do; stay with Buffy and Hardison or chase the one who shot him? Catching Buffy's eye, Parker saw her daughter's vote and sprinted after Eliot, knowing that Nate and Sophie would watch over Buffy. Whoever did this would pay – maybe/probably with their life. It didn't occur to Parker why she was so angry about this. After all, it wasn't the first time one of them was hurt.

Back at the scene, Buffy looked around the area for any other threats. Again, it was something in her psyche that made her do it. She growled angrily when she saw Sterling across the street in his car. He had something to do with Hardison getting shot; she just knew it. He would pay for this!

She had just the way to do it, too. A man like that, his reputation meant everything to him, so that's how she'd get him…through his reputation.

**Hardison's hospital room**

**4 days later…**

Parker sat by Hardison's bedside, alone for the moment. The others were out chasing leads and handling the con they were running. Buffy was still at school for another half hour. Her daughter had told her that talking to the hacker would let him know he wasn't alone. Parker didn't even consider questioning how Buffy could possibly know that.

"Eliot and I tried to catch who did this, but they got away in a waiting car. It turned out to be stolen so no help there." Her voice cracked as emotions overwhelmed her, "Hardison, you have to wake up. Remember, you promised to help me with Buffy? I can't do this without you! I need you! Please! I--I--I love you, Hardison," she whispered through her tears, finally realizing what that gnawing feeling in her stomach was. It was the fear she'd lose somebody who was almost as important to her as Buffy.

This was something new for the reformed thief to think about. Love wasn't an emotion she put much stock in; her years in the foster care system drilled cynicism deep into her heart. Having Buffy come into her life was the first step to turning away from it, and falling for the quirky hacker finished the job. She couldn't lose either of them now.

Hardison woke an hour later to find a blonde head next to his shoulder. At first he thought it was Buffy, but then he saw the younger girl in a chair by the window. That only left… "Parker? What's up, girl?" he murmured in the elder blonde's ear.

She snapped up and exclaimed, "Hardison! You're not dead!"

He chuckled at her blunt way of speaking, finding it quite charming – in a Parker sort of way. "Nah. Not that I can tell, anyway." Parker was so relieved that she kissed Hardison right on the lips. "Then again, I could be in heaven now."

Buffy bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the dazed look on Hardison's face. "Sorry, not just yet. Mom kinda had a revelation about you, though. I'm just gonna go call the others so she can tell you about it," she said as she backed out of the room. Now she just had to figure out how to take a while to find somebody. Nobody would interrupt those two if she had anything to say about it.

Staring at the door where Buffy left, Hardison shook his head, then turned back to Parker. "What was this revelation?" he inquired.

Parker suddenly looked very nervous. She got up and began pacing at the foot of the bed. "Umm, see, the thing is--" she broke off, unsure how to proceed with her confession.

The pieces finally fell into place and Hardison grinned happily. "That you care about me as much as I care about you?" he guessed. The light in his eyes was pure hope that he was right.

"You do? Really?" Parker asked, stopping dead in her tracks.

Hardison nodded. "I swear on my earbuds. I was hoping that someday we could wear you down with all of our 'dates' that Eliot and Buffy arranged."

Parker's face scrunched up in confusion; then she thought back to all the group activities that ended up with just her and Hardison. "Is that why they kept leaving us alone?"

"Guess baby girl wants her mom to have a dad to play house with." Hardison seemed pleased with the world he woke up in. If this was a delusion of some kind, he wasn't sure he wanted to break it.

"And do you? Want to play house with us, I mean," Parker clarified, worried what his answer would be.

Hardison held out his left hand to Parker, ignoring the ache he felt from the movement. He was gratified when she took his hand and reclaimed her seat by his side. "Of course. Parker, you are the craziest chick I have ever met… But you are also the funnest one. Not to mention how great you are with kids. I would love to be part of your and Buffy's lives. Well, more than I already am," he added with a laugh, wincing as the pain flared in his chest again.

She looked up at him shyly. "I'd like to try that too."

He tugged on her hand to get her closer to him. "Then come over here and let's try that kiss again now that I'm ready for it." Neither one heard the soft cheer from the hallway when their lips met for a second time.

**IYS black tie event**

**Sometime in the very near future…**

Jim Sterling – newly instated VP of IYS – was speaking to Ian Blackpoole, head of the insurance company, and several clients or potential clients when he heard a young, angry voice call out from right behind him. "I warned you to stay away from my family, Sterling."

He turned around to find Parker's daughter, Buffy standing there, quivering with rage. "How did you get in here, Buffy?" he demanded, looking around for the rest of the Leverage team.

"Who is this child, Sterling?" Ian hissed quietly. This wasn't the time or place for a scene; not when they were trying to close the biggest deal their company had ever seen.

But Buffy heard him and fixed her glare on him. She guessed why he was trying to be quiet, so she went the opposite way, raising her voice even louder. "Name's Buffy Parker. And you must be the scum who let Nate's son die. You must be an idiot!" she declared, smirking to see that she had the attention of several people nearby.

"See here, young girl--" Ian attempted to shut her up before she said anything he couldn't spin.

She just kept going though, "I mean, I'm only ten, and even _I_ know that keeping Nate happy and working for you was worth _way_ more than you would have spent on that experimental treatment for Sam. He saved you, what? Millions? Hundreds of millions over the years? What's a couple hundred thousand – or even a million – compared to that? Not to mention what he _would_ have saved you if he kept working for you."

A blonde woman came over from a different group, fire blazing in her eyes. "What is she talking about, Ian?"

Buffy didn't know who this woman was, but she was more than happy to blab what she had learned from the Leverage team and their files. "Oh, Ian didn't tell you that he let the son of his best insurance investigator die because the company didn't want to pay for an 'experimental procedure'? Gee, I wonder why not?"

Sterling _did_ know who the woman was, and tried to stop Parker's daughter from causing any more damage than she already managed. "Buffy, you don't understand--"

"You're right, I don't," Buffy cut off his plea – pure venom in her eyes. "But then again, I have those pesky things called human emotions that you two don't seem to be bothered with. Tell me, did it even cause you to lose _any_ sleep that you almost got Hardison killed?" she accused.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Sterling denied, wishing he could grab the little brat and shake her into silence. If there weren't so many witnesses, he might have done just that.

"I saw you there that day. I _know_ you know who shot him. Remember what I said to you when you threatened my mom?" she reminded, starting to stalk towards him.

"Yes, but wh--" Sterling's question was cut off by a decidedly girlish screech as Buffy swung her fist as hard as she could into his family jewels. When he doubled over in distress, she took the opportunity to give him a head butt that caused both their heads to ring in pain.

Even though Buffy was grimacing with her pain, she still took the time to warn him. "Come near my family again and I'll _cut_ something off next time. That goes for you, too, slimy insurance guy," she tacked on towards Ian over her shoulder as she walked to the front door.

Ian knew he needed to do serious damage control, starting with Nate's ex-wife. "Maggie, she obviously misunderstood--" he began, reaching out for her.

Maggie reeled back from his touch, the agony on her face evident. Her eyes hardened as she clenched her fist and punched him hard in the nose. Then she started screaming, uncaring about all the guests who were gathering around them, "What? What could she _possibly_ have misunderstood? Seems to me she was quite clear that you let my child die! You're some kind of sick psychopath. Did you get some perverse pleasure having me do work for you? Oh god! You bastard!!!"

She shuddered in disgust, turned away and blindly ran from Blackpoole and Sterling, leaving them to face the crowd of disdainful partygoers.

"I assure you, this is a simple misunderstanding," Ian tried again to keep this from blowing up in his face.

And had just as much success with this attempt as he had with Maggie.

"And I assure you, Mr. Blackpoole, my company does not like dealing with groups that are subject to these kinds of 'misunderstandings'," the leader of the group assembled sneered, clearly not believing Blackpoole's protestations. "I believe we'll take our business elsewhere. I'm sure it won't be a problem for you, though. There are plenty of companies that don't care about things like this. Ours just doesn't happen to be one of them."

Seeing those fat contracts going up in smoke, Ian pleaded, "Please, let me explain!"

The leader looked repulsed at this vile excuse for a human. "Explain what? Did you forget what Lasten Ensimmäinen stands for? _Children First_, Mr. Blackpoole. We take the revenues from our $200 billion oil company and use them to fund children's programs around the world – which in turn earns us another $175 billion a year. From adoptions to theme parks to college scholarship funds. There is no part of the child's life that we don't have a company to cover. That includes experimental treatments for children who are dying! We exist because of parasites like you, Mr. Blackpoole. Now if you'll excuse me, I suddenly feel the need to dip my hand in disinfectant."

The higher ups of IYS watched as the LE group followed their leader away from the party – each one looked like they wanted to spit on them as they passed. This one was going to hurt their bottom line…bad.

**Leverage headquarters**

**Next day…**

Once she found where Nate was holed up, Maggie barged into the Leverage offices to demand, "Why didn't you tell me about what Ian did?"

Startled at the sight of his ex-wife, Nate couldn't even try to hide his confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"About Sam's treatment?" she prompted with a raised eyebrow.

Nate collapsed back in his chair, unable to stand anymore. "How did you--?" he gasped out.

Taking pity on him, Maggie took a chair across from him, and began her explanation, "Little blonde girl by the name of Buffy Parker tore into Ian at a benefit last night. I don't think she realized who I was when she told him and Jim Sterling off."

Finding the strength – mostly from fear for Buffy's safety – Nate stood back up. "She did what?! I told her to stay away from Sterling!" he shouted.

Maggie just laughed in response. Nate's heart gave a little flutter at the sweet sound he missed so dearly. "I wouldn't worry too much about Sterling getting anywhere near Buffy again. He's probably too scared to get within six blocks of her."

Re-taking his seat _again_, Nate asked, "What? Why?"

Fighting her giggles, Maggie said through her beautiful smile, "To put it euphemistically, he's eligible for the Vienna Boys' Choir now."

"You mean to say--?" Nate couldn't finish his question because he started laughing himself.

Happy to see her ex-husband smile again, Maggie confirmed, "Oh yeah, right where it counts."

"Eliot should appreciate that. He only got a small taste of her strength when he dealt with her." When he saw the blank look she was giving him, Nate explained, "Uh, he's a co-worker of mine and now one of Buffy's honorary uncles."

She gave him an unreadable look. "You must be another one. She warned Ian to stay away from her family or she'd make him suffer like Sterling." Maggie leaned back in her chair, delighted to be able to share something she knew would make Nate happy. "Funny thing is, between me and her, we've already hurt him far worse."

Intrigued by the almost evil smile she had, Nate inquired, "What do you mean?"

Maggie shrugged nonchalantly. "One of his potential clients was meeting him last night at the benefit, and now they've decided to go with another company after hearing that IYS let our son die."

"Really?"

"Lasten Ensimmäinen is a company founded on helping children. The sad irony is that if we had told them about the treatment back then, _they_ would have covered the costs," Maggie shared with tears in her eyes. The CEO caught up to her in the parking lot to assure her that they would make every effort to ensure this wouldn't happen again to somebody else's child.

Nate looked down, unable to meet her eyes anymore. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I just-- I worked for those people and trusted them to do the right thing for Sam. When I found out what they did, I felt responsible. If I told you, then you'd hate me as much as I hate myself. I thought it was better to have your pity than your hatred."

Maggie caught the present tense when he said he hated himself, and her heart broke for him. She stood up and walked to the other side of the desk to lay her hand on his shoulder. When he glanced up at her, she spoke softly, but sincerely, "Nate, I could never hate you – especially for something that wasn't your fault. I only wanted us to help each other through our grief. It hurt losing you to alcohol after losing Sam to his illness." She scrutinized him for a second, then added, "Speaking of which, you are looking much better than the last time I saw you."

"Got sober a couple months ago. When Parker got custody of Buffy, it hurt to see her back away every time I came in the room. We think she dealt with some abusive, drunken adults before coming here. Anyway, it got me to thinking about Sam and what he would want from me. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a treatment center," he explained with a self-deprecating shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, I'm very happy for you. Buffy obviously must be okay with you now if she's taking on Ian for you," she pointed out.

Nate's eyes brightened at the mention of the younger blonde whirlwind. It was almost like before Sam died – the happiness she saw there. "Yeah. We had a talk when I got back, and as long as I stay away from the booze, she and I are good. She's quite a pistol, that girl."

Maggie was encouraged at the changes she saw in Nate and wanted to say thanks to the girl responsible for getting him to fight for his life again. "So I saw. Think there's a chance I can meet her again under better circumstances?"

"Sure, if you want." He looked at the clock on the wall and said, "She's probably at the hospital visiting Hardison right now."

Remembering the name from Buffy's accusation the night before, Maggie nodded in understanding. "Oh, the one she blames Sterling for."

"Huh?" was Nate's less than intelligent response.

Surprised he didn't already know, Maggie relayed what Buffy yelled, "She said she saw Sterling there the day Hardison was shot. She thinks he knows who did it."

_That little--_ Nate sighed in frustration. "Guess I'll have to have another talk with her. Did you want to meet the rest of the group now?" he asked, conveniently forgetting that meeting Sophie might be a tad awkward. He stood up and held is arm out.

Maggie took his offered arm. "That'd be very nice. Then maybe we could go get a bite to eat? Catch up?" she asked, almost shyly.

Caught off-guard by her tone, Nate stuttered, "Umm, sure."

* * *

A/N: Sterling is gone and Parker and Hardison are together. All is right in the Leverage world. You get to guess what happened between Nate and Maggie or Nate and Sophie. The company's name is Finnish…just for kicks.


End file.
